Nepal's betrayal
We just received the shocking news that Nepal is going to export 25 rhesus monkeys, to be used in cruel barbaric experiments in the U.S.A.
This is not only contradictory to what they promised us, this is a pure violation of the countries' values and against the will of the people of Nepal!
This decision is probably the worst decision made ever, because it will only fuel our anger and it sets a machine in motion of increased protests worldwide, with no end in sight.
No good news for tourism in Nepal!!!!
Primates to meet guinea pigs’ fate
Nadja Shanker
Wildlife lovers to protest export of rhesus monkeys to US
Kathmandu, November 17:
Twenty-five rhesus monkeys from Nepal will soon be sent to the United States, where they will be used as subjects for research on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
The National Bio-medical Research Centre in Lele, Lalitpur, is exporting the primates to the US to experiment vaccines for HIV and TB. The breeding facility of the NBMRC is funded by the US government.
The centre has 210 monkeys and over 100 babies, all born in captivity. The NBMRC works with the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in Texas, that has 6,000 monkeys.
The US scientists turned to Nepal for primates after the Indian government imposed a ban on the experimentation on monkeys due to reported inhumane treatment against the primates.
Surya Bahadur Pandey, management officer at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, said 200 rhesus monkeys were caught for the centre in three years.
Mangal Man Shakya, chairman, Wildlife Watch Group, said their organisation would protest the bid to export the monkeys. “This act contradicts the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1976, which prohibits export of monkeys,” Shakya added.
He said the government should have consulted the WHO before approving the export of monkeys. “Breeding should be allowed for the preservation, not for scientific tests,” Shakya said. Rhesus monkeys are listed on the CITES Appendix II, implying they are on the verge of becoming an endangered species.
These monkeys are sought for tests, as most of their genes match with ours. Pandey said the NPWC laws allowed export of animals for research purpose if prior permission were acquired. “Monkeys born in the centre are their personal property. We cannot oppose experiments on them,” he added. The government gets Rs 25,000 per monkey as permission fees.
Prabesh Man Shrestha, director, NBMRC, said the monkeys were taken into captivity from areas where they were troubling local residents. “They will not get virus injected in the labs. The scientists will only analyse their behaviour and genetics,” Shrestha maintained, adding that rhesus monkeys have been used as subjects for scientific tests for over 70 years.
